Dodgeball is a popular playground game that has been around for generations. It requires agility, strategy, and quick reflexes. The basic rules are simple – throw balls at the opposing team members while avoiding getting hit yourself. If you get hit, you’re out. Last team with a player still on the court wins.
Over the years, many riddles and tricky questions have emerged about this classic game. Below are 53 dodgeball riddles ranging from easy to hard, with answers provided. Test your dodgeball IQ and see how many you can get right!
Easy Dodgeball Riddles
These riddles are suitable for kids just learning about the game of dodgeball. They cover basic terminology and rules.
Riddle #1
I’m the line that splits the dodgeball court in half. What am I?
Answer: The center line. It divides the court into two equal halves, one for each opposing team.
Riddle #2
When you step out of bounds in dodgeball, what happens?
Answer: You are automatically out if you step out of bounds, meaning the areas outside the court lines.
Riddle #3
Dodgeballs are usually this color.
Answer: Red. Traditional dodgeballs are red rubber balls.
Riddle #4
If you flinch when a ball is thrown at you but it doesn’t hit you, are you out?
Answer: No. You must be physically hit by the ball to be called out. Simply flinching or ducking doesn’t count.
Riddle #5
Name the five ways you can be out in a dodgeball game.
Answer: 1. Getting hit by a thrown ball. 2. Having a thrown ball you catch get dropped. 3. Stepping out of bounds. 4. A ball you throw gets caught by the other team. 5. Not throwing back a “retrieved” ball within 5 seconds.
Riddle #6
What do you call it when you catch a ball thrown by the other team?
Answer: Making a catch. This results in the thrower being out, not you.
Intermediate Dodgeball Riddles
These riddles cover more complex game strategies and situations beyond just the basics.
Riddle #7
I’m a defensive move where you lay flat to avoid balls. What am I?
Answer: Dipping or planking. Players stretch themselves horizontally close to the ground.
Riddle #8
You can use me to block incoming balls using your hands and arms. What am I?
Answer: Deflecting. Players can bat or brush balls away with their limbs.
Riddle #9
Bouncing throws off one wall to hit opponents from behind is known as what technique?
Answer: Bank shots or rebounding shots. Throws ricochet to surprise targets.
Riddle #10
When the last two players on a team face one opponent, what strategic stance might they take?
Answer: Bracing. Teammates can stand back to back or side by side covering different angles.
Riddle #11
I’m a common unspoken rule of dodgeball where stronger players avoid targeting weaker ones first. What am I?
Answer: Honor rules. Sportsmanship discourages quickly eliminating less athletic participants.
Riddle #12
What’s a sacrifice play where you allow yourself to get out to save a teammate?
Answer: Tanking. Players can take a ball so another person avoids elimination.
Advanced Dodgeball Riddles
Think you know dodgeballs inside and out? These next riddles analyze trickier scenarios you may encounter.
Riddle #13
A player catches a fast throw but trips right after. Are they out or not? Why?
Answer: Yes, they’re out. A completed catch requires maintaining control of the ball. If dropped afterwards, it doesn’t count.
Riddle #14
You throw a ball that an opponent tries catching but deflects with their hands instead. Who’s out?
Answer: No one. A deflected ball that’s uncontrolled doesn’t result in an out like a clean catch would. Play continues.
Riddle #15
Is it legal to roll a held ball slowly to the other team to offer an easy out?
Answer: No. Deliberately rolling the ball forfeits possession but doesn’t eliminate anyone.
Riddle #16
If you jump to avoid a ball and get hit just after landing, is that still in bounds?
Answer: Yes, jumps are still legal plays. You must land fully out of bounds to be called out.
Riddle #17
A player gets hit in the foot but catches a different throw right after. Which action takes priority?
Answer: The catch. Still completing a catch nullifies an earlier hit. The player who threw the caught ball is out.
Riddle #18
During an opening fast-paced exchange of throws, a player gets hit quickly three times by different balls. How many times are they out?
Answer: You can only be out once. The first hit eliminates that player, subsequent hits no longer count.
Dodgeball Skill Testing Riddles
Now we enter the trickiest dodgeball riddles of all, measuring true expertise!
Riddle #19
Is it legal to throw a held dodgeball up vertically to yourself as a stall tactic?
Answer: No. The ball must be thrown toward or into opponent territory. Self-tosses straight upwards or downwards violate possession rules.
Riddle #20
A player catches a ball but collides hard with the wall just after. If they drop the ball as a result, are they out or safe?
Answer: They’re safe. A completed catch still eliminates the thrower. Any drops caused by further collisions or falls afterward don’t negate that.
Riddle #21
You sprint up right at the center line to narrowly grab a fast throw headed behind you. Legal or not?
Answer: Legal, as long as the catch attempt starts fully in your team’s zone. Momentum carrying you back over midline is fine.
Riddle #22
A player holding two balls claims they caught an opponent’s throw between their balls. Is this possible or allowed?
Answer: Not allowed. Each individual ball catch must involve trapping the ball cleanly against the player’s body, not sandwiched between two held balls.
Riddle #23
Someone on your team breaks a major rule. If the ref doesn’t see it but an opponent does, can that opponent call them out?
Answer: Yes. Opponents can rightfully call out severe rule violations if officials miss them. Sportsmanship still applies though.
Riddle #24
During a throw, a player’s foot slides slightly over the center line while still in contact with the floor. Legal play or rule infraction?
Answer: Legal play. As long as the thrower doesn’t fully step across with their whole planted foot, it doesn’t break possession rules.
Riddle #25
A desperate player about to be hit chucks their held ball strongly sideways right before impact. Legal throw or not?
Answer: Not a legal throw. You cannot initiate new throws after already being hit. The ball leaves the thrower’s hand out of bounds.
Dodgeball Brain Teasers
Think you have mastered even the most confusing dodgeball rulings? Try to crack these next brain teasers!
Riddle #26
A player tries catching a ball headed for the face but swats it hard instead. It deflects sideways, hitting a teammate next to them. Is that teammate out?
Answer: No. Players are only out by throws originating from opponents, not deflected contact from teammates attempting to catch.
Riddle #27
You throw a ball that an opponent catches while stepping over the sideline. Does the catch eliminate you or not?
Answer: Catch doesn’t count, player who stepped out is out instead. All catches must be completed fully in bounds to be valid.
Riddle #28
You roll a slow ball to precisely strike an unsuspecting opponent’s foot from close range. Is this considered out or not?
Answer: No. Slow rolling doesn’t carry enough force. Plays must involve strong throws with real speed and power, no matter the range, to eliminate opponents.
Riddle #29
An opponent throws a rubber ball that you block with a soft foam ball held in your hands. Does their hit eliminate you?
Answer: Yes. Any strikes from thrown rubber balls count as hits, regardless if you attempt blocking with other objects.
Riddle #30
You successfully catch a ball while having one foot fully across the sideline. Are you safe or out?
Answer: Out. Both feet must be fully inside bounds during a catch, violating sideline rules still eliminates you after an otherwise good catch.
Extreme Dodgeball Riddles
Think you have seen it all in dodgeball? Try wrapping your head around these extreme last few riddles!
Riddle #31
You throw a ball that ricochets off a teammate’s caught ball back at you. Does your own deflected throw eliminate you?
Answer: No. Players can only be out from contacting throws originating straight from opponents.
Riddle #32
An opponent’s throw strikes you then ricochets sideways right into a teammate beside you. Is that teammate out?
Answer: No. Ball deflections only eliminate originally hit targets, not secondary ones adjacent. The teammate remains safe.
Riddle #33
You run to save an out of bounds ball but momentum carries you fully past the sideline. If you throw back in, is that legal?
Answer: Yes, if you establish foot control before release. Landing out doesn’t eliminate you. step outs only occur during catches.
Riddle #34
You strike an opponent with a held foam ball. They fling up their arms angrily, launching their rubber ball straight back in retaliation. Who’s out?
Answer: Only the second thrower is out, by self-exiting mid-emotions. But first retaliation also merits strong warning or ejection.
Riddle #35
A player tries catching a ball headed behind them by flipping fully horizontal. They make hand contact but land on their back instead while dropping the ball. Out or safe?
Answer: Safe. The prone horizontal finish doesn’t negate their otherwise good catch attempt from initial contact through descent.
Riddle #36
Your teammate screens a ball for you. It deflects backwards, striking you. Does that eliminate you or not?
Answer: No. Only balls last contacting and thrown by opponents can eliminate you, not ones deflecting off your own teammates.
Final Dodgeball Riddles
If you have made it this far through all the riddles, consider yourself a true dodgeball expert! But let’s wrap up with a few extra challenging stumpers:
Riddle #37
During a scrum, the exact moment of elimination for a player hit by two simultaneous throws coming opposite ways can’t be distinguished. Which throw takes priority in calling them out?
Answer: Simultaneous hits from opposite directions cancel out priority, the player struck is simply out.
Riddle #38
Down to two players left on your team versus five opponents, if your teammate gets hit, can you request to battle all five players alone?
Answer: No. Once team player counts become uneven, games are declared officially over.
Riddle #39
You intentionally throw your ball over the center line. Your plan? Hurry across and throw it back before opponents reach it! Sneaky strategy or rule violation?
Answer: Rules violation resulting in an out. Center line divides possession and entry between sides.
Riddle #40
A player tries catching a ball with their shirt pulled fully over their torso and face. Does this still eliminate the thrower or not?
Answer: No. Catches must involve contact with a body part to be valid, obstructed shirt fabric layers don’t qualify.
Riddle #41
You crouch down, absorbing a skipping foot shot intentionally into your shin to draw an easy elimination. Cheap exploitation or legal maneuver?
Answer: Legal maneuver. Skipping shots suiv as foot throws have no prohibitions and can eliminate you if not avoided.
Riddle #42
A player gets hit and calls themselves out, but the ref was distracted and insists they never saw it. Does the player stay in or not?
Answer: Player stays in. Calls are only valid if clearly confirmed and acknowledged by officials during live action.
Riddle #43
Your teammate screens you perfectly from a hot head shot. You reach across their shoulder right after, snagging the deflected ball in midair. Does the catch eliminate the opponent thrower?
Answer: No. Only direct catches uninterrupted by contact with other players can eliminate throwers. Deflections off teammates lead to neutralized plays instead.
Riddle #44
You break sideways hard to snatch an opponent throw headed behind you. Your lead foot plants out of bounds during the pivot, though your upper body lands in bounds clutching the ball at its apex. Does this boundary mixup nullify your catch attempt?
Answer: No, legal catch. Only trailing feet must land fully inside during out-of-bounds twisting catches. Lead feet pivoting ahead receive some leniency.
Riddle #45
A player tries saving an airball headed to elimination by illegally grabbing then hurling a teammate upward to intercept its flight path and absorb the hit instead. Who’s ultimately out in this shocking midair collision?
Answer: Both sacrificial player and thrower are out simultaneously. Self-projection of teammates strictly prohibited, aggressively unsportsmanlike.
Conclusion
How many dodgeball riddles did you solve correctly? Darting around trick scenarios strengthens your quick judgment calls for moments just like these during games. It also tests your savvy interpreting exact rules for strange edge cases.
Whether new player or seasoned veteran, these brain twisters help improve your field awareness, application of regulations, and creative strategy alike. Dodgeball keeps bodies and minds active in many ways – so both keeping up your fitness and finesse helps maximize the fun and competitiveness!
